Wood swings back

Just wait until a whole tree tries to knock you down. Wood has a vengeful side which science has yet to fully document.

It happened to me a couple of times when I use another round as a base. A piece falls off and hits me in the shin. If the corner hits the shin at just the right angle, it hurts like hell. It just needs to fall, not even be struck.

basswidow said:

I do all my splitting on the ground. I bet if I had a tire to split in - it might have prevented this. I'm gonna get one to try.

"Vengeful side is right". I think the wood was telling me to quit for the day and I listened!

Click to expand...

I haven't had any luck finding the right size tire for this purpose.

I've never tried the tire thing, but seems there might be a lot more rebound or bounce potential with an unlucky strike?

basswidow said:

Sometimes wood will take a swing back.

I've been splitting alot of red oak and some walnut. I was tired and I had a section of walnut heart wood that was knotty of walnut that I had hit 4-5 times and was about thru it, when I made a powerful blow and a sharp split shot right into my left leg just below the Knee. Pain was instant and I thought I broke the bone. I pulled up my pant leg to check for blood and to see if it broke skin - nothing but a big knot and blood bruise. I laid down on the ground, breathing heavy and waiting for the pain to subside (thinking I would pass out on my feet), and my dog couldn't have been happier about that. She siezed the opportunity to get right into licking my face and went crazy. Meanwhile - I'm wondering how bad it really is. Got back on my feet and realized - it was just a good sting.

I've had a few close calls with my follow thru's - but this is the first split that has jumped back and shinned me. I'm gonna enjoy burning that piece.

Click to expand...

Good to hear it was just a good sting, what we go through to get fuel for the heater.


zap

gzecc said:

basswidow said:

I do all my splitting on the ground. I bet if I had a tire to split in - it might have prevented this. I'm gonna get one to try.

"Vengeful side is right". I think the wood was telling me to quit for the day and I listened!

Click to expand...

I haven't had any luck finding the right size tire for this purpose.

Click to expand...

You may find that a tire with the beads cut off and turned inside out works better than one right side out with the beads still on it.

Sometimes some wood rounds just have a lot of energy built up in the fibers and when they start to separate, they do so violently.

I was splitting some big (to me) oak on the little electric splitter the other day. Most of it goes normally, it splits slowly and predicatable and a few fibers tend to hold it together to the last second and you can just tear them by hand to separate the things. Then I put this one unassuming piece on the cradle. Straight as an arrow, about 15" diameter, 20" long. Plate starts pushing to the wedge and when it gets there it slows down, but not enough to reverse the motor. It goes and it goes and then WHAM! the thing gives and the whole round splits in 2 perfectly straight, neat halves faster than my eye can see it happen. The wood was compressed just enough lengthwise that when it let go, the tension in there released and the wood just took off, both piece came off the splitter with enough force that they both cleared the whole thing lengthwise..considering each half was about 4 lb or so thats one big bucket of energy there.

Wood will exact revenge on your body. Wear some good pants and protection footwear and safety glasses and you'll stand a great chance of getting the last laugh.

Was splitting locust once on a hydraulic splitter; one of the first times, in fact, I used one. Was at a knotty section, wedge was groaning slowly thru it, when all of a sudden it violently gave. I was standing right besides it when it happened and ended up with a palm-sized bruise just below my belt. Another inch or two lower would've been a REAL problem.

I now know better to stand off to the side and behind the wedge when it begins straining thru a round...

I've had that happen a couple times. I split all my wood by maul. Last time, I must have bruised the bone if that is even possible. I had a lump on my leg for a month or more. I've thought about getting some soccer shin guards to use, but just end up doing what I've always done and just split it. Some chunks fly clear across the driveway sometimes.

Was trimming a bunch of small rounds (1"-4") in the sawbuck and had a 2" long cutoff hit me just below the kneecap this summer- first thought was I somwhow hit my leg with the saw and did not want to look down

The rest of the reaction is about the same sans the dog (the cat likes to go for walks in the woods but doesn't do OPE)

Sooner or later it happens.... Sometimes one can even learn some new words when it happens.

Backwoods Savage said:

Sooner or later it happens.... Sometimes one can even learn some new words when it happens.

Click to expand...

:lol: say it isn't so, must be pretty good to learn new ones........

It's kind of like logging used to be. Sooner or later one gets rolled onto the toes. Or for the off-bearers, sooner or later a finger or thumb will get crushed. Goes with the game.

I've set my Beer down on a round 10ft. away, had a piece shoot over and knock it down......got a new Beer, placed it on a different round.....wouldn't ya know, the next swing....Beer got knock over again.....got another Beer, took a break to finish it, then back to splittin'

When we first bough the house 8 years ago I had to buy wood. It was dumped in a big pile on the driveway. I took my, then 11 year old stepson out side in an attempt to pass my wood burning knowledge and experience down to the next generation. Some of the splits were kinda big so I figured I'd show him how easy it is to split wood. I assured him that it was easy and that even though he wasn't so big yet, that he'd do fine. To demonstrate, I wedged a bigger split against some other wood in the pile and gave it a good whack with the maul. the split easily split in half and one half few up and hit straight in the forehead and nose! Talk about being stunned! Here I was showing a nervous, former apartment dwelling kid how to split wood and I get a shot to the face. I held the tears back and continued my lesson. I don't think he has tried the maul yet.
I have had a few shots to the shins, but nothing has come close to that shot to the head. Be careful out there.

I was splitting some of that gorgeous red oak that just flies apart when you merely look at it one day on ye olde hydraulic splitter. What looked like a piece that should gently open up with just the slightest touch split violently right down the middle (it flew apart, alright) and nailed me right in the crotch. After verifying that no one saw the stupidity, I allowed myself to use all those words Dennis was referring to above.

Backwoods Savage said:

It's kind of like logging used to be. Sooner or later one gets rolled onto the toes. Or for the off-bearers, sooner or later a finger or thumb will get crushed. Goes with the game.

Click to expand...

Yes, I mashed my thumb between two big oak rounds, the upper round in the pile slipped out of my hand and crushed my thumb like a 50# hammer. OUCH! Took months for that thumb to heal. Last time out I mashed my ring finger, not nearly as bad, but the discoloration was there, correction, is still there!

Woah gentlemen! This thread is written gold. I am still to get me a boiler and start collecting wood, but what I am learning here will surely prevent me from learning many of those new words you talk about.

Err ... thanks ?

Yep, that has happened to me also. Hurts like the Dickens. I don't see any way to avoid it, perhaps I'm more concerned with a maul strike to the foot or shins and that is just the lesser of two evils. Red Oak can shoot like a rocket in any direction when splitting it.

When you hear the steel of a hydraulic splitter start stressing it's time to be moving out of the way. Had one piece of firewood that put up a mean fight, The beam of the splitter was tinkin and poppin like crazy, when that split let go there was a loud crack and both halves shot out 15' in opposite directions. Glade no one was in the way.

Those are the fun ones wetwood. Soft maple is good for that.